Our First Three Weeks In Korea

1/27/2011

On Blogging

Well, we had good intentions to blog regularly. Kathryn likes to add lots of details to help others feel and experience what we are going through, and I like to share “deep” and “spiritual” things that challenge and/or encourage others. I think we are waiting to have the time to sit down and focus on posting insightful things. We are starting to see that we may not be able to peel away so easily to do that sort of thing. We have been here three weeks and our posts are getting fewer and farther between already.

We have not had a “normal” week yet. We are slowly establishing our routine. The Korean schools start their next term in March and that is the calendar we are working on since our primary role is teaching. So the church programs and Kathryn's work at the Academy are tied directly to the public school schedule. We have finished the paper work for immigration (this week). Kathryn is a legal, card carrying immigrant and Sam, Will and I should be also, when the paperwork goes through (February 7). So far our best week has seen three days of homeschool.

Settling in During the Storm

What is keeping us so busy? I'm glad you asked. Let me give you a snapshot of our lives since we arrived. We left for South Korea on Wednesday, January 5^th. Arrived at Incheon on the 6^th. Took the day to unpack on the 7^th and got moved in to our new place, met with the KidsWorship team briefly and had a meeting with Pastor Kidoong covering our responsibilities at the church. On Saturday the 8^th we had to show our faces at a pastors meeting at 9AM and we hung around the Kids Worship offices for a while. That evening we met the worship team for the young adult ministry and had dinner together. This young adult group (college students plus a few early career folks) is our personal small group. They have pretty good English and they are all great people. They have been so helpful to us. Saturday, we met them just to get aquainted. On Sunday we were introduced at five different services starting at 8 o'clock. We did not have to sit through each service but we did have to get presented to the church five different times. At 3 o'clock, we went to the childrens English service that I help lead, followed by the weekly meeting of the young adult worship team. As a group we chose The 4:8 Principle as the book that we would be working through together. For these meetings Kathryn leads worship and introduces a new song each week and I lead the discussion and Kat and I tag team teach through the book.

On Monday we left for Horeb Retreat center (about three hours away). This is a privately owned youth retreat center that we will be working with at times. That evening Kat led worship for the retreat center staff and the kids played in the snow (this place is cool and it's out in the country). I am sure we will talk more about this place in the coming months. On Tuesday, the 11^th, we did some filming for a video at Horeb and that evening we went snow skiing with the kids. We drove home that night after finishing skiing at 10 PM.

The next day Kathryn went to the hospital to get a full battery of test so she could be approved for her immigration status. After the hospital we all went to see the Academy where Kat will be working, as well as the Tae Kwon Do gym that I will work at.

On Thursday the 13^th Sam, Will and Barry left for a young adult retreat for two days that included indoor baseball and a visit to a waterpark. Kat did not go on the retreat because she was starting to get sick, but while we were gone she got to hang out with Ansley which was good for her. The kids and I got home Saturday and rested until we reunited with Kathryn that evening. Then Sunday rolled around again- I attend the 10:30 youth service, I help lead the 3 o'clock English kids worship service, and we co-lead the 5:30 young adult meeting (with worship and teaching). That is my regular Sunday schedule at present.

Rolling up Our Sleeves

Then Monday the 17^th came, this was Kat and I's first week of work. In the morning we all went together to immigration to begin getting Kat processed to get her card to be legal. Until this is done we cannot get bank accounts, cell phones, etc. Needless to say this is pretty important. We went to immigration at 9 o'clock, got lunch at Insadong, and headed off to drop Kat off at work by 1:00 PM. She usually leaves for work at noon Monday through Friday and returns home at 7 PM.  Kathryn worked Tuesday and I had my first day of teaching at the Tae Kwon Do gym.

On Tuesdays and Wednesdays I do the warm up, strength, flexibility and balance portions of the TKD classes. I also teach English vocabulary as we work out. Wednesday was a typical work day for Kat and I. The big event for me this day was to make the trip home by myself. The most difficult part was to convince Master Lim (my boss) to let me go. He is a great guy but was worried about me getting lost on the subway. The trip takes about an hour and I have to change lines at transfer stations several times along the way. He thought that navigating through the maze of subway tunnels might be too much but I was able to convince him that it is hard to lose a Marine with a map.

Homeschool Begins

By Thursday we were really anxious to get homeschool started back so the kids could have the stability of a routine. Also, after too long of a break it's hard to get them motivated again. This provides a good excuse to slow down a bit with the outtings. Friday the 19^th was homeschool again as well as an evening trip (when Kat got home from work) to E Mart. E Mart is the Korean equivalent of Wal Mart. It's a good place to shop and has just about everything you need in one place (groceries plus clothing and items for the home). Saturday we took a break from the action, although we still hung out with some friends this day. They helped us to figure out what our monthly bills would be and how to set up payments and the like. Sunday was the typical schedule for me. I am not required to go to the youth service but it is important to me to get to know the kids and to build relationships with them. I feel called to the age group since they are so open and are usually searching for influences as they formulate their own ideas about life and the world. Being a novelty in this culture brings the spotlight and also provides a platform to speak into the lives of some. It is also rewarding to see growth in others and this is an age of accelerated growth. At the kids service we also launched a demo video that Sam and Will helped me make. This went over well and will become a feature for the spring semester as we write the new cirriculum.

Plugging

A new week began and we got back to the books but not without interruption. Monday was homeschool for the three of us and Kat started a new work week. Tuesday- Sam, Will and I had our turn at immigration. We had to wait for Kathryn to get processed fully because she is technically our sponsor for our family visas. Wednesday was work for Kat and another homeschool day for Sam and Will. Thursday we shopped for shoes in the AM but were still able to complete it in the afternoon. Tomorrow (Friday) I will leave for a middle school/high school retreat. Lucky for Sam and Will- another day off.

Now that we have an abridged recording of the events of our first three weeks, hopefully we can begin to keep a weekly journal of the next forty-nine. We want this to be a site people can visit to be entertained and challenged. A place to learn about a new culture, a place to meet new people, a place to help us understand ourselves and our neighbors and a place for us to remember that God is continually at work in our lives. Thanks for reading, we hope you are blessed.